A Corrado Smokin' The Rear Tires! What's Wrong With This Picture? Nothing, Of Course
If Volkswagen ever produced a car with sporty styling to back up serious performance, the Corrado SLC is it; the VR6-powered SLC was designed with the muscular yet refined look of a classic German sports car and few would argue that it doesn't look just as fresh and distinctive now as it did almost 20 years ago.
The only real problem with the Corrado is it was based on a front-wheel drive Golf platform, which was less than ideal for 911-conquering power.
Richard Hawse, a lifetime VW enthusiast, is no stranger to the traction problems associated with the FWD VW chassis: "I started with a Rabbit 16v, I did a Mk2 with header and cams, I got a Mk3 GTI VR6 and turbocharged it - it's been nothing but front-wheel drive VWs since I was 15 years old," Richard remembered.
After working for a number of years at Maryland-based EIP Tuning, he became familiar with experimentation on Syncro systems and realized the disadvantages. The solution Richard came up with was unique in its conception and the quality of the conversion, and groundbreaking in the world of high-performance VWs. The idea was hatched many years ago at EIP, but Richard only recently made his vision a reality.
"A friend of mine, Bob Baker, had a Chrysler Conquest that ran 10.40s. I loved the power and 60ft times the car made so I figured I could do the same to the Corrado using the same rear suspension.
"We measured the width of the Conquest and Corrado. They were similar so I wouldn't need to alter the track of the rear suspension, just put VW wheels on it," Richard explained.
However, it wasn't until he opened his own service shop, European Auto Care, that Richard started on the conversion. Knowing the rear end fitted, the next problem was what transmission to use. After much research he chose the five-speed BorgWarner T5 since it's common in cars like the Mustang, Camaro, 300ZX, etc.
"Once I got that in my head, the key question was how to get a T5 to mate up to a VR6 02A bellhousing. I machined a piece of aluminum that spaced the tranny off the bellhousing so everything lined up," he said.
The T5 was perfect because it's strong and plenty of parts are available for it. That was key because the built VR6 was making over 400hp. It featured EIP pistons, Cunningham chromoly rods, ARP hardware and a custom intake manifold with individual velocity stacks to compensate for runner length.
Boost is created by a Precision PT67 turbo, running through custom 2.5" aluminum piping and a 4" Garrett intercooler core before entering the 12v head.
Fuel is provided by an Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump, custom ECM fuel rail and 660cc Siemens injectors, while DTA Pro 8 stand-alone management controls combustion. Boost is regulated by a Turbonetics wastegate and A'PEXi AVC-R.
Starting last winter, Richard began taking apart the perfectly good Corrado VR6 turbo and rebuilding every mechanical aspect. A front subframe was fabricated to move the 2.9 VR6 back, optimizing balance and handling. "There's only 0.5" between the firewall and the timing chain cover because I wanted the engine to sit as far back as possible without chopping up the firewall. It meant I could get the weight between the wheels to balance the car," he said.
While he was at it, Richard moved the front control arm mounts 1" forward to again maximize balance. Otherwise, the stock suspension and geometry was retained.
At the rear, another subframe was created to secure the Mitsubishi-based independent suspension, differential and axles. The process was complex and Richard resorted to hot rod techniques he'd learned from his father. "My father's been welding and building hot rods all his life - I was raised around this stuff," Richard said. "Getting everything to line up was difficult and I could have just welded things in place, but I did it old school, with string and levels and squares."